Katia's "Racing" Across The Atlantic And Should Become A Hurricane Today

While still too far out in the Atlantic to be sure of its path, Katia is packing sustained winds of 65 mph and "racing" west-northwest on a possible path toward the U.S.

Current models put the storm on a northern path away from the coast, but forecasters insist it's too early to predict with great accuracy.

The weather patterns that nudged Irene toward the Eastern seaboard are still in place and the wind shear that weakens storms is very low.Weather UndergroundHistorical path of storms in Irene's location

Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory, "Katia continues to look impressive on satellite images and steady strengthening appears likely."

FSU researcher Robert Hart told the Charleston Post And Courier that in the past, 47 percent if tropical storms that were in Katia's position have made landfall in the US.